Mailbox letter rack



Aug. 28, 1956 c. R. ROBERTS MAILBOX LETTER RACK Filed Nov. 17. 1954 Ilvllll l I N V EN TOR. 672M765 R. flab 6415 ATTORNEY United tates My invention relates to a mail box letter rack for use in mail boxes of the type commonly used on rural routes.

An object of my invention is to provide a mail box letter rack of simple, eflicient and inexpensive construction which may readily be installed in an ordinary rural mail box, which occupies very little space in the mail box, which is easy and convenient for the user to put outgoing letters into, which helps to keep the outgoing letters clean and dry, and which supports the outgoing letters in such a manner that they are more easily and quickly picked up by a mail carrier, thus saving time and expense in the pick-up of the outgoing mail.

Another object is to provide, in a rural type mail box which has a downwardly swinging door hinged to its lowermost forward edge, a letter rack comprising a relatively narrow trough shaped letter receptacle disposed within the mail box adjacent to one side of the box and having its inner end portion connected by swinging link means with the box and its outer end portion connected by pivot means with the door so that said rack will be entirely within the box when the door is closed and will be drawn partly out of the box in a convenient position to receive outgoing letters or to have such letters picked up therefrom when the door is opened.

Another object is to provide a letter rack which serves as a brace for the downwardly opening hinged door of a rural type mail box and which supports the door in a substantially horizontal shelf-like position when said door is open.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, showing this letter holding device or rack installed in a mail box, the door of the mail box being closed and the letter rack being retracted into the mail box.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the door of the mail box open and the letter rack extended for the reception or pick-up of outgoing letters.

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section with parts in elevation taken substantially on broken line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detached isometric view of the letter rack.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on a larger scale than Fig. 1 taken substantially on broken line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a similar cross sectional view taken substantially on broken line 66 of Fig. 2.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Users of rural type mail boxes ordinarily mail their letters by placing them in these mail boxes for pick-up by the carrier. It is estimated that about one half of these mail boxes will contain outgoing mail to be picked up by the carrier. Rural type mail boxes are not entirely weather proof and are sometimes left open and their bottoms are liable to become dusty and dirty and may become wet from rain, snow or the like. When letters are placed in ordinary rural type mail boxes they lie on the bottoms of these boxes and in this way may become dirty and possibly wet. These mail boxes are ordinarily'serviced by the carrier from a motor vehicle which approaches so that the mail boxes are on the right of the vehicle. The carrier must stop his vehicle in the correct position in front of the box and pick up the outgoing letters oil of the bottom of the box. The act of reaching into the box and picking up these outgoing letter off of the bottom of the box requires time and effort on the part of the carrier and the vehicle remains stopped with the motor running and consuming fuel while the pick-up is being made.

My letter rack protects the outgoing letters and keeps them dry and clean and, in effect, hands them to the carrier when he opens the door of the mail box, thus saving time and effort and expense in the pick-up of these letters. My letter rack is positioned adjacent the side of the mail box which is remote from the carrier as he approaches the box and in this position it occupies very little space in the box and does not objectionably obstruct the interior of the box and is not in the way of the carrier in putting mail into the box.

The accompanying drawings show a mail box 10 of conventional construction, having a bottom 11 and having an open front end provided with a downwardly swinging door 12 which is hinged to the lower forward edge of the box by pivots 13. The usual catch members 14 and 15 are provided on the forward top part of the box 10 and the upper edge of the door 12 respectively. These mernbers 14 and 15 will hold the door in closed position.

My letter rack comprises a relatively narrow troughshaped 0r U-shaped letter receptacle 16 which preferably but not essentially has a rounded bottom 17 and beveled or chamfered upper edges 18. The beveled edges 13 make it easier to insert letters L into and to pick these letters out of the receptacle 16. The receptacle 16 has transverse bolt receiving holes 19 near its forward lowermost corner and has other transverse bolt receiving holes 2i) near its uppermost rear corner.

The forward end of the letter receptacle 16 is pivotally secured to the door 12 near one edge of said door by pivot and mounting means such as a bolt 21, bracket 22, rivets 23, spacer tube 24 and nut 25. The spacer tube 24 is positioned between the two sides of the receptacle 16 on the bolt 21 so that it holds the two sides of the receptacle 16 apart and cooperates with the bolt 21 to form a stop which limits forward movement of letters in the receptacle.

The rear end portion of the letter receptacle 16 is swingingly supported by a link 27 which is positioned adjacent the side of the box it] remote from the carrier as the carrier approaches the box. The upper end portion of the link 27 is pivotally secured to the receptacle 16 by pivot means, such as a bolt 26 which passes through said link 27 and through the holes 20 in the receptacle and through a spacer tube 29 which is disposed between the two sides of the receptacle. The lower end portion of the link 27 is pivotally secured to a side wall of the mail box 10 by pivot means, such as a bolt 28. Obviously rivets can be used as pivot members instead of the bolts 21, 26 and 28. Also obviously if bolts such as 2i. 26 and 28 are used as pivot members, then the ends of these bolts can be upset slightly to retain the nuts thereon.

The U-shaped letter receptacle 16 can be easily and inexpensively formed by cutting a piece of sheet metal or like material to the proper size and shape and bending it double around a round bar of proper size into trough shape. This U-shaped receptacle 16 is open at both ends and is therefore self draining for all positions in which it can be left. Said receptacle 16 always inclines downwardly toward the front end when the door 12 is open and in this position will drain outside of the mail box. The

two spacer tubes 24 and 29 form letter stops at the re spective ends of the receptacle and letters can not slide out in either direction. These'stops are far enough apart so that legal envelopes L of normal size can be placed in the receptacle between said stops. This letter rack is equally well adaptable to letter boxes already in use or to such boxes at the time of manufacture.

The positioning and arrangement of the pivot members 21, 26 and 28 is such that when the mail box door 12 is closed the letter receptacle 16 will be entirely within the mail box 10 in a generally horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1. When the mail box door 12 is open the front end portion of the receptacle 16 will extend out of the mail box and the receptacle 16 will be inclined downwardly from its rear toward its front end and the bottom 16 of said receptacle will be resting on the forward edge of the mail box bottom so that the receptacle 16 serves as a brace member for the mail box door 12 and holds said door in approximately a horizontal position.

In posting letters the door 12 is opened, the outgoing letters L, indicated by dot and dash lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, are easily placed in the receptacle 16 and the door 12 is closed. The letters L are completely housed within the box 10 and do not contact the floor of the box 10 and are protected by the receptacle 16. When the carrier opens the mail box door the letter rack or receptacle 16 will be moved outwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2, thus presenting the letters in a very convenient position for quick and easy pick up. This rack and the supporting means therefor are of narrow width or thickness and are positioned closely against the side of the mail box 10 which is remote from the carrier as the carrier approaches the box. Thus the rack occupies very little room in the mail box and does not in any way obstruct the depositing of mail in the mail box by the carrier.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in this device may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claim.

I claim:

A letter rack for use in a mail box which has a normally horizont al bottom and upright side walls and a downwardly swinging front door hinged adjacent the forward edge of the mail box bottom comprising a letter holder of narrow overall thickness and substantial length and substantial edgewise rigidity positioned Within the mail box adjacent to and parallel to one side thereof and having letter receiving means capable of supporting let ters lengthwise of the mail box and in an approximately vertical plane; a generally upright link disposed between the rear end portion of the letter holder and the adjacent side wall of the mail box; a pivot member connecting one end portion of said link with the adjacent side of the mail box near the bottom of the mail box; another pivot member connecting the other end portion of said link with the rear end portion of the letter holder; a bracket fixedly secured to the inner side of the mail box door and extending away from the door in spaced relation from the hinged edge of the door; a pivot member connecting the forward end portion of said letter holder with said bracket, said link and said bracket and door supporting said letter holder in an approximately horizontal letter holding position within the mail box and spaced above the bottom of the mail box when the door is in closed position and cooperating When the door is swinging'ly moved toward an open position in moving said letter holder forwardly and downwardly and partially out of the mail box into a position convenient of access with its lower edge engaging and fulcrummed on the forward edge portion of the mail box bottom and the link limiting upward movement of the rear end port-ion of the letter holder, said letter holder limiting opening movement of the door to a substantially horizontal position and bracing and supporting the door in said horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,194 Larsh Dec. 11, 1906 1,367,375 Gre'ason Feb. 1, 1921 1,793,695 Hughes Feb. 24, 1931 1,929,734 Evans Oct. 10, 1933 

